Should I move mama and new hatchlings?

[henvy]

My black cochin (Ms. Penguin) went broody, so I decided to let her hatch some eggs (assorted eggs from most/all of the 6 hens that I have).

I was going to move her and the eggs to the 'maternity ward' (puppy play pen with next box on the floor of the chicken run) tonight as I thought I had at least one more day, but at least 4 of the 7 eggs hatched sometime between last night and this morning. I know there is at least one more egg that hasn't hatched. They all seem to be doing fine, but . . .

My coop is about 4 feet off the ground and I worry about the babies falling out onto ground. Should I still go ahead and move them all - mama, hatchlings, and unhatched? And, if yes, should I wait until bedtime or just go for it now, while I've got the warmth and light of day on my side?

If I do wait until bedtime/'night', how late at night are we talking? totally dark or just after they all put themselves to bed?

Also - will the other hens and the rooster bond more with the babies if I leave them all in the coop together?

All these little details . . . .

Thanks everyone for the information and wisdom

 

[yorkie6]

Yes i say go ahead! I doubt that the rooster would like the babies, but just see how he acts around them, the hen should protect them from danger if the rooster isn't happy with them being near them.

 

[henvy]

I've read here and elsewhere that roosters actually help keep the peace when new chicks/chickens are added to the flock. He's a papa and he does seem to be quite protective of the girls. Even with me - the Big Mama. Well, I guess I'm a grandmama now

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have no idea what your coop, run, nest, or anything else about your set-up looks like so it’s hard to offer specific advice. So I’ll be kind of general.

A chick absorbs the yolk before it hatches so it can go three days or more without food or water, that’s why they can be shipped in the mail. There is no rush because of that.

If a mature dominant rooster is introduced to chicks while they are reasonably young, he will probably assume they are his and is a lot more likely to help take care of them and protect them than he is to harm them. Immature cockerels and the other hens pose some danger to the chicks but not really the rooster. You are dealing with living animals so you don’t get guarantees, but I’ve never had a broody hen fail to protect her chicks from the other hens or immature cockerels. Broody hens have been hatching chicks and raising them with the flock since there have been chickens. They generally know what they are doing.

Without knowing some details it’s hard to say how likely it is that one will fall. I personally would not worry about a dried out active chick hurting itself if it fell four feet, I’ve seen them jump out of a ten foot hayloft. But one getting separated from the broody would not be a good thing. If there is a decent lip around your broody’s nest it’s unlikely one will fall out, but anything can happen. A much bigger risk is if your nest is so small the broody is sitting near an open edge. Baby chicks often climb up on Mama’s back. If she is sitting right on the edge of the nest they might miss the nest when they fall off. If she is not sitting right at an open edge I would not worry about a chick falling out of a nest.

Without knowing details my general thought is to wait. The more you interfere the more likely you are to cause harm, either to the hatching eggs or the ones that have already hatched.

A word of warning. Young chicks like that enjoy climbing up under Mamas wings and under her feathers. I killed a baby chick once when I picked up a broody hen that had just hatched chicks. I crushed a chick that had climbed up under her wing. So be careful when you pick up a broody.